Socket wrench with pilot



Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOCKET WRENCH WITH- PILOT Laurence J. Almes verona Pa. g

' Application July 8, 1948}, Seri'al'No'. 37,666

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates generally to wrenches and more particularly to socket wrenches-for removing' and adjusting threaded membersthat are inaccessible and difficult to align and manipulate. I

This: invention is particularly advantageous for use in adjusting or removing the lock nut or bearing adjusting nut in a rear hub bearing assemmy of a truck. The bearingadjusting nut and its lock nut inthe rear hub assembly of a truck threadably engage the tube extending from the rear housing and little clearance is allowed between the nut and the bore of the hub. It is quite difiicult to properly align the nut in order that the fine threads thereof might engage the threads in the tube whenreplacing the same. Frequently the threads are galled due to the fact that it is difficult to hold the nut coaxially' with the tube.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a wrench having a noncircular or polygonal section for engagement with the threaded member and a pilot section for maintaining the nonround member coaxial with the threaded section on which the threaded member is to be applied.

Another object is the provision of a socket wrench arranged to selectively engage the noncircular or polygonal bore or exterior of the threaded member and having a pilot section to maintain the wrench in axial alignment.

Another object is the provision of a doubleended socket and pilot wrench, the pilot section of one socket member providing the handle section of the other socket member.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the following description and claim.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplification, without limiting the invention or claims thereto, certain practical embodiments of the invention wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of a socket wrench comprising this invention as applied to the rear hub section of a truck;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the wrench illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a double socket wrench;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a socket wrench as applied to an externally threaded member; and

Fig. 5 is a view partly in section showing a screw driver type of socket wrench provided with a pilot section.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 represents the wrench which consists of the stem member 2' having a nonround or polygtonal member 3 engaging the lock nut 4 and provided with a turning means such as the han-= dle 5. The stem l in this structure is tubular and is provided with a shoulder 6 intermediate of its ends and against which the base 1 of the nonround or' socket member 3. is abutted' and welded thereto as indicated at 8'. The reduced diameter section of the stem I is coaxial with the n'onround socketmember 3 and extendstherebeyond as indicated at '9 to form the pilot section of the wrench which is designed to have a sliding fit within the bore ll) of the tube H that is secured to and extends out of the end" of the rear housing [2. The axle shaft has been removed in Fig. l but consists of a shaft having a splinedend that engages in a pinionin the differential and extends out of the-rearhousing inspaced relation of the bore of the tube H and is provided with a head onits outer end which is bolted to the hub [3 by means of the stud bolts Hi.

The nonround socket member 3 engaging over the lock nut 4 is thus accurately aligned by the pilot section engaging the bore of the tube Ill. The lock nut 4 may be removed which would permit the removal of the lock ring l5 and then a larger socket member may be used for removing or adjusting the bearing adjusting nut l6 that holds the spaced bearings I! in assembled position.

In the structure shown in Fig. 3 the tubular stem 20 is of uniform diameter throughout its length and is designed to fit the inner bore ID of the tube ll. Intermediate of its ends the stem 20 is provided with a radial flange member 2| having a large nonround or polygonal socket 22 welded on one face and a smaller nonround socket 23 Welded on the opposite face. Each of the sockets 22 and 23 is disposed coaxially with the surface of the stem 20 and the respective ends of the stem function as pilot sections for their non-round socket members. The outer ends of the stem 20 may be formed with the nonround sections 24 which are slightly smaller in diameter than the other portions of the stem which function as pilot sections to prevent the pilot sections from becoming marred or otherwise scored when applying an ordinary wrench to the nonround sections 24 or to prevent the radial handle 5 from distorting or otherwise upsetting the metal on the pilot sections of the wrench. The nonround socket members 22 and 23 may be welded to the radial flange 2! as in,

which is welded to the cup-shaped or polygonal socket member 28 that engages the nonround bore of the nut 29 that is threadably engaged with the internal thread on the tubing 30. The pilot section 3| is removably set in the bore 32 of the stem by means of the set screw 33. Thus, a pilot 1' section 31 may be changed for difierent sizes of coaxial openings 34 in the tube 30. The stem 2'! may or may not be tubular. The bore 32 and the inner end of the pilot section 3| may be nonround if it is ever necessary to put a rotary torque on the pilot section. However, if the section 3| functions only as a pilot section then it is unnecessary to make a nonround Joint with the bore 32 of the stem. V

In the structure shown in Fig. 5 the socket wrench is the screw driver type having a wooden handle 34 secured to the metal stem 35 that has aifixed thereto a nonround or polygonal socket member 36 and which is bored to receive the pilot section 31.

In each instance the pilot section is made sufficiently long to properly engage the bore of the tube on which the threaded member is to be secured so as to provide a goodbearing that will axially align the nonround member with the threaded member and the threads on the member to which it is to be applied. The threaded member or nut may be stored or otherwise retained on the nonround socket member before placing the pilot in the opening to retain the nut in coaxial concentric position when threading the same onto the tubular member. By making the pilot section replaceable relative to the stem one is enabled to change the pilot section and thus provide a more flexible and dependent Wrench.

I claim:

A wrench for applying or removing a threaded member on a complementary threaded member consisting of a stem, a polygonal tubular socket secured to said stem, said socket snugly receiving the threaded member to hold it coaxially concentric with the stem, a pilot section extending into said socket and secured to said stem in coaxial concentric relationship, and means on the stem to rotate the socket while the pilot section maintains the socket in alignment with the complementary threaded member on which the threaded member is applied or removed.

LAURENCE J. ALMES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 687,947 Weston Dec. 3, 1901 1,325,070 Andrews Dec. 16, 1919 1,382,834 Johnson June 28, 1921 1,504,035 Faw Aug. 5, 1924 1,793,477 German et al Feb. 24, 1931 1,822,649 Evans Sept. 8, 1931 1,874,389 Trotter Aug. 20, 1932 2,055,262 Queen Sept. 22, 1936 2,370,017 Delvaux Feb. 20, 1945 2,386,011 Stanley Oct. 2, 1945 2,468,386 Walter Aug. 23, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 581,511 Great Britain Oct. 15, 1946 845,915 France May 22, 1939 

